Uniform equipment mounting system

ABSTRACT

A universal mounting system is provided for use in connection with substantially any type of electronic equipment so was to reduce or substantially avoid the need for rail kids or other mounting assemblies that are its equipment specific for mounting equipment to racks. In one implementation, a uniform mounting system ( 101 ) includes a number of rail and slider assemblies ( 112 ). Each of the rail and slider assemblies includes a slider that is slightly mounted on a support rail. Each of the slider is includes mounting flange is and brackets for mounting the slider to a piece of equipment. The mounting flanges  116  that&#39;s collectively define a segmented vertical rail. A safety stop mechanism can be used to define very a offset figurations of the equipment with respect to a front end of the rack.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 13/108,383, entitled,“Uniform Equipment Mounting System,” filed on May 16, 2011, which is acontinuation of Ser. No. 12/892,009, entitled, “Uniform EquipmentMounting System,” filed on Sep. 28, 2010, which is acontinuation-in-part of International Patent Application No.PCT/US2009/038851, entitled, “Uniform Equipment Mounting System,” filedon Mar. 30, 2009, which claims priority from U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/040,542, entitled, “Uniform Equipment MountingSystem,” filed on Mar. 28, 2008; U.S. Provisional Application No.61/040,924, entitled, “Uniform Equipment Mounting System,” filed on Mar.31, 2008; U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/157,118, entitled,“Uniform Equipment Mounting System External Bearing With IntegratedInsertion Guide,” filed on Mar. 3, 2009; and U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/157,113, entitled, “Uniform Equipment Mounting SystemSimplified Mechanism With Safety Stop,” filed on Mar. 3, 2009. Thecontents of all of the above-noted applications are incorporated hereinby reference as if set forth in full and priority to these applicationsis claimed to the full extent allowable under U.S. law and regulations.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to mounting equipment such aselectronic data processing (EDP) equipment in racks and, in particular,to a uniform mounting system that can be used in mounting a variety ofEDP equipment having differing widths, depths and mounting structure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

EDP equipment is deployed in various environments including residentialand business environments. In many cases, multiple pieces of equipmentare mounted in a support structure such as a two-post or four-post rackor cabinet, all of which are generally referenced herein as a “rack.” Inthe case of data centers, multiple racks may be configured side by sidein rows. It is not uncommon today for such data centers to occupy tensof thousands of square feet.

There is limited standardization of the dimensions of the equipment andthe racks, and even less standardization of the mounting structure formounting the equipment to the racks. In this regard, the NEMA cabinetand rack standard defines a horizontal spacing of the equipment mountingflanges of a rack, a width of the main body of the inserted equipment, avertical spacing unit (equipment may occupy a multiple of this unit),and a vertical spacing of equipment mounting holes in the verticalsupport structure of the rack. These standards are more specifically setforth in NEMA publications.

There are no other accepted standard dimensions for racks and equipment.For example, the depth of the equipment to be mounted is not dictated bythe standard. In addition, the width of the equipment can vary, and thehardware required for mounting is not standardized.

Moreover, the functionality of the equipment mounting hardware used inNEMA standard and other racks varies. In this regard, there aregenerally three ways that equipment is mounted in racks. First, theequipment can simply be placed on shelves, which are mounted in theracks. Second, the equipment can be directly mounted to the racks by wayof static rack mounting adapters that attach to vertical mounting railsthat are either fastened to or are part of the cabinet. Finally, theequipment can be mounted to the rack via rail assemblies that fasten tothe vertical mounting rails and allow the equipment to be movedforwardly and rearwardly relative to the rack for improved access.

Many different types of equipment are available from many differentmanufacturers. Because of the limited standardization noted above, thisequipment varies substantially with regard to width, depth, height andrack mounting hardware. The result of this state of affairs is that eachmanufacturer is responsible for supplying rack mounting hardware that iscompatible with the NEMA (or other) standard of the equipment rack. Thisresults in considerable difficulty in installing and accessing theequipment, especially in the case of rack rails because how they attachto the equipment, how far they slide out, how they lock and release, howone removes a piece of equipment from the rack, etc., all vary. This isfrustrating to personnel responsible for the equipment, and it is asignificant impediment to reconfiguring the layout of equipment andracks as may be desired. For example, in the data center environment, itmay be desired to reconfigure racks and equipment for improvedefficiency or performance or to accommodate customer changes. However,the difficulty of removing and remounting equipment sometimes weightsupon such decisions.

In some cases, the problems caused go beyond inconvenience. Installingor removing certain equipment from a rack may force the removal ofadjacent equipment to complete the task. This can require down time,which is difficult to schedule, and it is potentially disruptive andexpensive.

The lack of standardization of mounting equipment also results insignificant capital expenditures. In particular, it is often necessaryto purchase specially designed mounting accessories, such as a rail kit,in connection with the purchase of a piece of equipment. This can be asignificant expenditure, particularly in the case of data centers thatutilize a large volume of equipment. Moreover, as equipment is added andother equipment is removed and replaced, a large volume of such mountinghardware may be accumulated. Because this mounting hardware is oftenspecially designed for a particular manufacturer and/or a particularpiece of equipment, it is difficult to efficiently collect and reusesuch mounting hardware. Equipment manufacturers also often intentionallychange the design of each rail kit for each new generation of equipment,forcing the purchase of new rail kits which improves their profits. Theresult is that data centers often accumulate a large volume of mountinghardware, representing a significant capital expenditure, which the datacenter operator does not know whether to retain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to mounting equipment such aselectronic data processing (EDP) equipment in racks and, in particular,to a uniform mounting system that can be used in mounting a variety ofEDP equipment having differing widths, depths and mounting structure.Initially, it should be appreciated that although terms that describecertain orientations (e.g., vertical, horizontal, or the like) are usedherein, any suitable reference axes may be used that are appropriate fora particular application. For the purpose of illustration and notlimitation, the embodiments described herein show uniform mountingsystems that are operative to mount EDP equipment in a vertical stack,although other orientations may also be provided by embodiments of thepresent invention.

The present invention relates to a mounting system for electronicequipment such as equipment mounted in a two-post or four-post rack in adata center environment. The invention standardizes how equipment ismounted to and positioned in the rack, yet is totally compatible withNEMA or other dimensional standards such as NEMA. The mounting systemcan be added as an option to suitable existing two or four-post racks orintegrated as a part of a two or four-post rack design. It will workwith many current standard NEMA dimension two or four-post racks (eachvariant would have similar features and functions, but differentdimensions) or can be used with other standards or custom dimension twoor four-post racks. The uniform nature of how the mounting system isdesigned and functions yields many benefits as will be explained below.One or more embodiments of the present invention provides a set ofstructures that includes a number of vertical support posts that have anumber of horizontal support rails attached to them at any desiredinterval (at 1 U=1.75″ for example) or pattern of intervals. Thestructures can be made up of sub-structures in any modulus that may beoptimal, for example, in halves, thirds, etc. This may allow for variouscombinations of sub-structures to be joined together to form a fullstructure and for the full structure to have different numbers ofhorizontal rails as needed for different height racks. A pair of thestructures may reside on each side of the rack (or may be integratedinto the sides of the rack instead of attached to the sides of the rack)to form an equipment mounting assembly. The equipment mountingassemblies allow equipment in the rack to be mounted from the front orthe back. In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a rackcan be designed to have vertical sections that match the heights ofsub-modules of the assemblies and thereby integrate them into the rack.The various combinations of sub-modules may be combined with the variouscombinations of rack vertical sections to form racks of any heights thatincorporate the mounting system. A possible feature of the design isthat this can be done without sacrificing any 1 U mounting positions. Apossible use of this capability is described in PCT Application No.PCT/US09/38427 wherein the possibility of constructing modular plugstrips for power distribution, modular USB/KVM strips for UniversalSerial Bus/Keyboard Video Mouse connections and modular networkdistribution strips is described. The modular power, USB/KVM and networkdistribution strips could be constructed in vertical modulus that matchthe height of the vertical rack sections and facilitate mounting them inthe modular rack design.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the assembliesallow different pieces of equipment to be mounted at differenthorizontal offsets in relation to a front or rear face of a supportstructure (such as a rack). The assemblies are dimensioned forsupporting multiple pieces of electronic equipment in a verticallystacked configuration. The support structure has a front end definingone or more openings where front surfaces of the electronic equipmentare disposed adjacent to the one or more openings. For example, theNational Electrical Manufacturing Association (NEMA) cabinet and rackstandard defines the spacing of conventional vertical mounting flangesfor defining this front opening. The system further includes firstmounting structure for mounting a first piece of equipment in a fixedposition in relation to the support structure so that a first frontsurface of the first piece of equipment has a first horizontal offset inrelation to the front end of the support structure, and a secondmounting structure for mounting a second piece of equipment in a fixedposition in relation to the support structure so that a second frontsurface of the second piece of equipment has a second horizontal offset,different than the first horizontal offset, in relation to the front endof the support structure. The system may include additional positioningstructures so that each piece of equipment in the support structure canhave an individually selected horizontal offset. In this manner,equipment having different depths can be accommodated or differinghorizontal offsets can be supported for any reason desired by a user.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a methodis provided for changing a horizontal offset of a piece of equipmentwith respect to a support structure. The method involves providing asupport structure having a rail assembly and providing a piece ofelectronic equipment. The piece of electronic equipment is then securedto a mounting structure. The method further involves inserting the pieceof electronic equipment into the support structure by slidably engagingthe mounting structure and the rail assembly. A horizontal position ofthe piece of electronic equipment is then fixed in relation to thesupport structure at a first location. The method further involvessliding the mounting structure in relation to the rail assembly so thatthe piece of electronic equipment is disposed at a second location inrelation to the support structure and fixing the electronic equipment atthe second location. The position of the electronic equipment can befixed at a number of locations (e.g., discrete locations) so as toprovide a range of possible horizontal offsets.

In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, amethod is provided for use in moving electronic equipment. The methodinvolves providing a support structure having a number of verticallyspaced rail assemblies and having a piece of electronic equipment. Thepiece of electronic equipment may be secured to a mounting structure.The piece of electronic equipment can then be inserted into the supportstructure by slidably engaging the mounting structure and a first one ofthe rail assemblies. Conversely, the piece of electronic equipment canbe removed from the support structure by slidably disengaging themounting structure and the first rail assembly. The piece of electronicequipment can then be re-inserted into the support structure by slidablyengaging the mounting structure and a second one of the rail assemblies.In this manner, the electronic equipment can be moved to a differentvertical location within the support structure without detaching theequipment from the mounting structure and without the need for tools.Similarly, the equipment can be moved from one support structure toanother support structure in accordance with the present invention. Inaccordance with one aspect of the present invention, the assembliesallow for NEMA standard (or other desired standard or custom) mountingrails to be mounted horizontally (either front to back on the sides ofthe rack or side-to-side across the rack) in the assembly. This allowsNEMA standard equipment that can benefit from such an arrangement, forexample patch panels to be mounted side-by-side vertically in the rackat a given vertical height, but still be able to be removed from therack.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the assembliesallow for equipment to be mounted horizontally in the rack but be widerthan the NEMA standard. This is possible because the assemblies on eachside of the rack are spaced wider than the NEMA standard so that avariety of equipment widths that are at or below the maximum width thatis compatible with the NEMA standard unitary vertical mounting rails.The segmented vertical rail design allows equipment to use the spacebetween the maximum NEMA width and the location of the slider on eachside of the rack. This is the case because the equipment can be designedto mount to the sliders in such a way that it does not have to passbetween a NEMA defined opening between the unitary vertical mountingrails.

In another aspect of the invention, the horizontal support rails canhave an integrated uniform latching mechanism on one or both ends thatallow a user to adjust and secure the position of one or more adjustablesliders on the horizontal rail. The uniform nature of the latchingmechanism is a feature that allows any equipment with integrated slidersor other mechanisms to be freely moved between the horizontal rails inthe racks or between multiple racks. The slider can be a separate pieceor integrated into the design of equipment or accessories that aredesigned to mount into the assembly by sliding onto the horizontalrails. The adjustability of the horizontal sliders allows for mountingof a piece of equipment attached to the slider at a selected horizontaloffset position in relation to a front end of a support structure suchas a rack and allows different pieces of equipment to be supported atdifferent horizontal offsets in relation to the front end of themounting structure. In another aspect of the invention, the integrateduniform latching mechanism can be implemented to be uniform in how itworks, how it is operated (e.g., same user interface for every slider)and can be very convenient to use. Since all the slider interfaces tothe horizontal support rail are uniform and attach to the rack in thesame way, the release mechanism can be designed to be the same for allsliders, regardless of their other details.

The release mechanism may also release, one, many or all of a set ofsliders. It is practical to design a release mechanism this way becauseof the uniform design of the slider latch mechanism.

In another aspect of the invention, the release mechanism can be made asfollows to be easily accessible to the user. Standard cabinets oftenhave equipment-mounting flanges that are attached to the structuralsupports of the equipment cabinet such that there is little or no gapbetween the equipment mounting flanges and the support. The result ofthis fact is that most equipment vendors build rack mount rail systemsthat require the user to reach into the cabinet and press a button ortoggle a lever to release the equipment from a locked position. This isvery difficult in a fully loaded rack. The user must reach around theside of the equipment mounting flange and attached support and activatethe release button or lever. In some cases, it is impossible to do w/oremoving the equipment that is mounted above or below the equipment theuser wishes to remove. If this is the case, the data center manager mustleave a space above or below the affected equipment thus wasting thatrack space.

If the mounting system is designed as an option to an existing cabinet,there can be clearance to place a uniform release mechanism (button,lever, etc.) that is located between the edge of the front opening ofthe rack and the back (side away from where the equipment attaches tothe slider). This is because the slider support assemblies andassociated sliders attach to the cabinet structure in a way that thisspace is available for a uniform release mechanism to occupy. This putsthe release mechanism on the front and back of the cabinet in an easy touse location where it is visible and simple to see how to use it (theuser interface, or UI). In addition, the release mechanism latch leveris designed to be easily installed or removed from horizontal railassemblies as needed. This is useful in minimizing the number of latchassemblies required, thus lowering costs.

If a system is designed to be integrated into the cabinet, then thecabinet can easily be designed to place the release mechanism in thefront and/or back of the cabinet, in an easy to use location. This isonly practical due to the uniform nature of the system, since thesliders have standardized attachment and latching mechanisms and can bedesigned to be released in a uniform manner.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the adjustablesliders can be made in different lengths and used in pairs on each side(e.g., two sliders on each rail) of a piece of equipment to mount theequipment to the pair of assemblies on the side of the rack. This“split-slider” feature allows equipment of different sizes to be mountedwith a minimum of different length sliders. In other words, the slidersmay work in dual pairs, one pair per side per 1 U (note that equipmentthat is relatively short in depth may be mounted using only twosliders).

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the adjustablesliders can be made as compound sliders, e.g., a slider including two ormore sections that can telescope to a length that is greater than anyone of their sections. One half of the compound assembly could beassembled as part of the horizontal rail, or both or multiple parts ofthe compound slider can be assembled in the slider section only.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, equipment that islarge and heavy, or shelves, trays and accessories, etc. intended tosupport high loads (especially loads that may be higher than the loadrating of a single pair of sliders in 1 U of rack space, or loads thatmay be generated by dynamic forces, such as when a rack is mounted in amobile environment, such as a truck, ship or airplane, etc. or anunstable environment, such as an earthquake zone) can be attached tomultiple sliders to divide the load over the multiple sliders andhorizontal rails when the equipment, shelves, trays or accessories, etc.are inserted into the assembly and engage multiple horizontal rails. Inthe case of existing equipment, trays, shelves, etc., this can be doneby attaching multiple sliders per side to the equipment and thenengaging multiple horizontal rails when slidably inserting the equipmentinto the assembly. Alternatively, it can be done by using mountingadapters that engage more than 1 U of mounting holes, or using multiplemounting adapters. Alternatively, for equipment with integrated sliders,trays, accessories, etc. multiple sliders per side that will engagemultiple horizontal rails per side may be provided.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the sliders can bedesigned to mount in either orientation onto the horizontal sliders.This allows equipment to be put into the rack from either the front orback. It also allows the equipment to be removed from the rack andreversed 180 degrees and remounted in the rack. In this regard, it maybe useful to be able to access either the front or back of the equipmentfrom either the front or back of the rack.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a universal mountingadapter can be provided to attach equipment to a slider or one or morepairs of sliders. The universal mounting adapter may include anequipment standoff that attaches to the slider and is in the shape of an“L” where the bottom of the “L” has a pattern of parallel-aligned angledslots. Further, the universal mounting adapter may be supplied as auniversal or equipment specific mounting adapter that attaches to theside (or top, bottom, front, or rear) of the equipment being mounted. Ifthe mounting adapter is equipment specific, it can be designed with oneor more holes (or other equipment specific attachment arrangements suchas slots, pins, etc.) to mate to one or more specific models ofequipment. It may be made in the shape of an “L” where the bottom of the“L” has a pattern of parallel-aligned angled slots. The bottom of the“L” of the equipment standoff is attached to the bottom of the “L” ofthe equipment mounting adapter so that together they form a “U” wherethe width of the “U” is adjustable. This is facilitated by thearrangement of the parallel angled slots in both or either of theequipment standoff and/or the equipment mounting adapter. The slots maybe laid out according to a logarithmically based spacing that insuresthat one of the slots in the equipment standoff will always align with aslot on the universal equipment mount. This allows a fastener such as abolt and nut to be used to secure the equipment standoff and theequipment mounting adapter together. This universal mounting adapter cantherefore be used to accommodate a variety of equipment with differenthardware (or none) for attaching rail kits to the equipment. It also canaccommodate equipment of different lengths, widths and depths. Themounting adapters can be used in whatever number is needed to mount theequipment.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a mounting adapterthat is specific to one or several models of equipment can be providedto attach equipment to a slider or one or more pairs of sliders. Themodel specific mounting adapter can be formed in the shape of a “U”where one side of the “U” attaches to the slider, and the other side ofthe “U” is configured to attach to the equipment. The width of themounting adapter may be specific to the model or models of equipmentbeing mounted. The mounting adapters can be used in whatever number isneeded to mount the equipment.In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a mountingsystem includes a segmented vertical mount rail. Conventionally,electronic equipment has been mounted to a pair of vertical mount railsat the front of a support structure, either directly, using right anglebrackets, or via a rail kit. The present inventors have recognized thatthis unitary rail design limits mounting functionality. Accordingly, theinventive system includes a support structure, dimensioned forsupporting multiple pieces of electronic equipment in a verticallystacked configuration and a vertically segmented rail assemblyinterconnected to the support structure. The vertically segmented railassembly includes a first rail segment subassembly for mounting a firstpiece of electronic equipment and a second rail segment subassembly,vertically offset from the first rail segment subassembly for mounting asecond piece of electronic equipment. The first rail segment subassemblyis horizontally moveable in relation to the second rail segmentsubassembly. For example, one or both of the first and second railsegment subassemblies may be independently moveable along afront-to-back axis horizontal element of the support structure.The invention provides the vertical segmented mounting rail with NEMAstandard mounting holes (or other desired standard or custom dimensionor attachment hardware) that can be attached to an end or ends of theadjustable slider to provide compatibility with NEMA standard mountingadapters, accessories (trays, shelves, cable management accessories,etc.) and rail mount kits for conventional NEMA racks. As noted earlier,the NEMA standard specifies the hole locations in vertical mountingrails but does not specify the fastener type to be used with the holes.Therefore the vertical segmented mounting rail can be made with anyneeded fastener types (such as 12/24 threads, 10/32 threads, or ⅜″square holes for cage nuts) or any desired custom hardware or otherstandard hardware. That is, any vertical, segmented mounting rails withvarying fastener types may be intermixed in the same rack assembly asneeded. It should be noted that any equipment, shelf, accessory, etc.thus attached to a segmented vertical mounting adapter that is mountedto a slider is thereby made horizontally adjustable and can be movedfrom one (or more than one if the equipment is more than 1 U high andattaches to several vertical segmented mounting rails) horizontal railto another in the same rack or a different rack without tools.An optional embodiment of the vertical segmented mounting adapter mayinclude a vertical or horizontal hinge. This allows equipment that ismounted via the vertical segmented mounting adapter to be pivoted togain access for servicing or other needs.An alternative embodiment and usage of the vertical segmented mountingrail is to attach it directly to a horizontal support element of anassembly that is adapted for that purpose. In such an embodiment, thehorizontal support rails may be replaced by a simpler and/or lower costmechanism, such as a horizontal slot. This may allow the verticallysegmented mounting rail to be attached to the assembly and to beadjusted in its horizontal offset, but may dispense with the expense ofa horizontal rail, latching mechanism and adjustable slider. Thisembodiment may be suitable for many applications.In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a lock or othersecurity mechanism can be incorporated into the structure of theassembly to prevent the movement and/or removal of adjustable sliders(and the equipment or accessories attached to them) from the rack. Thelock can engage one, some, or all of the sliders disposed on thehorizontal rails of the assembly.In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a lock can beincorporated into the adjustable slider and/or the adjustable sliderwith attached vertical segmented mounting rail to prevent the movementand/or removal of adjustable sliders (and the equipment or accessoriesattached to them) from the rack.According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus isprovided for use in mounting a piece of equipment into an equipmentrack. The piece of equipment is pre-mounted onto a slider mechanism asdiscussed above. The noted apparatus includes a guide structure forguiding the sliders onto the rails and mounting structure for mountingthe guide structure onto the rack such that the guide structure ispositioned to guide the sliders into an engaged relationship with thesupport rails. In this regard, the guide structure preferably extendsforwardly beyond a forward end of the support rails. In addition, theguide structure may be tapered at a front end thereof to provideclearance between vertically adjacent guide structures so as tofacilitate placement of a slider mechanism onto the desired guidestructure. A corresponding method involves providing a guide structuremounted on the rack, disposing a rearward portion of a slider mechanismon the guide structure and rearwardly advancing the sliders so that arearward portion of the slider mechanism engages a forward portion ofthe support rails, and progressively rearwardly advancing the sliders inrelation to support rails to a fully engaged position.In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an apparatusis provided for enhancing the load bearing rating of an equipment rack.The rack may include support rails that engage slider mechanisms asdescribed above. The apparatus includes a support bearing, external tothe support rails, for supporting at least a portion of a load of thepiece of equipment and allowing for sliding movement of the slidermechanism in relation to the support rail, and mounting structure formounting the support bearing on the rack in relation to the support railsuch that support for the load of the piece of equipment is shared asbetween the support rails and support bearing for at least one positionof the slider with respect to support rails. Preferably, the supportbearings are dimensioned and positioned such that, when slidermechanisms are placed on each of the rails within a rack, the supportbearing is in contact with or closely spaced in relation to verticallyadjacent slider mechanisms. In this manner, the load rating of the rackis enhanced as may be desired for certain environments such as where therack is subject to acceleration or heavy equipment is utilized inconnection with the rack.In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, asafety stop mechanism is provided for use in connection with slidablymounted equipment of a rack. The apparatus includes a slider mechanismmounted to the piece of equipment, a support rail assembly for receivingthe slider mechanism, and a locking mechanism for selectively lockingthe slider mechanism on the support rail assembly. The locking mechanismis movable between the first position where the slider mechanism can befully removed from the support rail assembly and a second position wherea range of motion of the slider mechanism with respect to the supportrail assembly is limited. In one implementation, the locking mechanismis operative for preventing accidental removal of the slider mechanismfrom the support rail assembly and is also operative to allow selectionof the desired offset configuration of a piece of equipment with respectto the rack.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a mountingfixture that is separate from the rack and can be located in a suitablelocation such as on a table or roll-around cart is provided for mountingslider assemblies to a piece of equipment or shelves, trays,accessories, etc. This may simplify and increase safety in the workplacesince the actions associated with mounting the adapters and sliders canbe performed at a convenient height on a suitable and secure surface,where access to the hardware is easy and tools may be easily used. It isnoted that this is in contrast to the conventional methodology whererack mounting adapters or rail kits require the user to attachcomponents to the rack which may already be full of equipment and havevery poor lighting and access for use of hands and/or tools. As notedabove, the present invention allows a slider assembly to be pre-mountedto a piece of equipment. The slider assembly with mounted equipment canthen be taken to a rack where the equipment is inserted on to supportrails at the desired location. The noted fixture facilitates thisfunctionality by enabling convenient mounting of the slider assembly tothe equipment. In this regard, the fixture includes a support surfacefor supporting the equipment in defined spatial relationship to railmounts. The rail mounts are spaced by a distance matching the spacing ofrails in the target rack. The fixture can be used by placing a piece ofequipment to be mounted on the support surface and inserting sliderassemblies on the rail mounts. Mounting hardware can then be applied tothe equipment and slider assembly to interconnect the equipment to theslider assembly. In one implementation, an elevator mechanism isassociated with the support surface to allow vertical movement of thesupport surface in increments matching the vertical spacing of supportrails in the target rack. In this manner, mounting of multiple uequipment is facilitated by conveniently allowing multiple sliders to beattached to each side of the equipment.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the present invention and furtheradvantages thereof, reference is now made to the following detaileddescription taken in conjunction with the drawings in which:

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate perspective views of a rack system inaccordance with the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a cut-away perspective view showing rail and slider assembliesof the system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 4A-4B are perspective views showing alternative equipment mountingadapters for use in the system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing a safety stop mechanism for use inthe system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate operation of the safety stop mechanism of FIG.5;

FIGS. 8-10 illustrate an optional external bearing and insertion guidesystem for use in the system of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 11A-11C illustrate an alternative safety stop mechanism inaccordance with the present invention; and

FIGS. 12A-12B are perspective views showing an assembly fixture inaccordance with the present invention.

FIGS. 13A and 13B show perspective and side views of a set of railassemblies that include rail portions which include mechanical ramps.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show side and perspective views of a removableinsertion guide that may be operative to assist a user to insertequipment into a rack.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, the invention is set forth in the contextof a specific rack system configuration for use in a data center orsimilar environment for mounting EDP equipment. The invention hasparticular advantages for this environment due to the large volume ofequipment, the variety of equipment and the likelihood of periodicreconfiguration of equipment and rack layout in such environments.However, it will be appreciated that various aspects of the inventionare more broadly applicable to other equipment mounting environments andin connection with other types of equipment. Accordingly, the followingdescription should be understood as illustrating the invention and notby way of limitation.

Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a rack 100 including auniform mounting system 101 in accordance with the present invention isshown. Additional details of the rack 100 and configurations are shownin FIGS. 2 and 3. It will be appreciated that the present invention canbe utilized in connection with a wide variety of rack configurationsincluding two- and four-post racks, open racks and enclosed cabinets orany other suitable configuration. In the illustrated embodiment, therack 100 includes four corner posts 104 and an enclosure structure 102.The rack 100 may include additional structure elements such as bottomand top surfaces and braces that are not labeled in FIG. 1. Theillustrated rack 100 further includes a front opening 108 through whichequipment can be accessed and can be inserted into and removed from therack 100. In some cases, a front door may be provided to enclose theopening 108 though this may interfere with certain equipment offsetconfigurations, as will be understood from the description below. Theback side of the cabinet 100 opposite the front opening 108 may be openor may include an access door. In this regard, it is typically desiredto be able to access the rear side of the mounted equipment forservicing. Though not shown, it should be appreciated that fans or othercooling devices may be provided in connection with the rack 100. Forexample, components of such a cooling system may be mounted in a frontand/or rear door of the cabinet 100.

The illustrated rack 100 further includes a number of rail and sliderassemblies 112, as will be described in more detail below. As shown inFIG. 1, these rail assemblies are vertically distributed across theheight of the rack 100. In the illustrated embodiment, the verticalseparation between adjacent rack and slider assemblies 112 isapproximately 1 u. It should be appreciated that larger and heavierequipment may occupy more than 1 u of rack space. Accordingly, in suchcases, such equipment may be mounted to multiple ones of the rail andslider assemblies 112, thereby supporting the equipment by splitting theload over multiple rail and slider assemblies 112.

The rail and slider assemblies 112 are mounted to the rack 100 via sidesupport posts 110. In the illustrated embodiment, two side posts 110 areprovided on each side of the rack 100, though the number and spacing ofthe posts 110 can vary. The various elements of the rack 100 aremanufactured from materials and are otherwise engineered to support theweight of equipment mounted and rack and to otherwise endure in a datacenter environment. Typically, the rack 100 may be manufactured fromsteel with appropriate thickness and structural reinforcement for thisenvironment, although other materials such as aluminum can be used.

As noted above, the uniform rack mounting system 101 accommodates avariety of equipment. This includes options to mount equipment ofvarying widths. For example the uniform rack system can be adapted tomount equipment conforming to the 19″ NEMA standard width (the mostcommon) or a different option can be adapted to mount equipmentconforming to the 23″ NEMA standard width. Further, in the 23″ widthoption, 19″ NEMA standard width equipment can be accommodated in thesame 23″ width rack. Mounting adapters for accommodating such variationswill be described in more detail below. In this regard, the rail andslider assemblies 112 disposed on opposite sides of the rack 100 areseparated by a distance that is suitable to accommodate such equipmentand allow a range of adjustment via the mounting adapter as describedbelow. To accommodate varying equipment depths, the rail and sliderassemblies allow for mounting of equipment at varying offsets. Suchoffsets relate to the relative positions of the rack front surface 114in relation to the mounting flanges 116 of the rail and sliderassemblies 112. The vertically segmented mounting flanges 116 typicallyattach directly to the front surface of the mounted equipment andtherefore define the position of the front surface of the equipment. Inthis regard, the rail and slider assemblies 112 allow equipment to bemounted with a positive offset, a neutral offset or a negative. Positiveoffset refers to configurations where, when equipment is mounted, theassociated mounting flanges 116 are disposed forwardly of the frontsurface 114 of the rack 100. In negative offset configurations, therelevant mounting flanges 116 are disposed rearwardly of the frontsurface 114. In neutral configurations, the mounting flanges 116 aresubstantially flush with the front surface 114.

FIG. 2 shows varying offset configurations in this regard. The rail andslider assemblies 112 have a telescoping arrangement that accommodatessuch varying offsets. In addition, the rail and slider assemblies 112may be manufactured in different lengths to further accommodate suchvariations in offset as well as to accommodate a desired range offorward and rearward sliding movement of the equipment in relation tothe rack 100 so as to accommodate servicing as well as removal andinsertion of the equipment relative to the rack 100 through either afront opening 108 or rear opening of the rack 100. Such sliding of theequipment through a rear opening of the rack is a unique feature of thepresent invention. The variable offset capability is also a uniquefeature of the invention.

Conventionally, racks have included a continuous vertical mounting railon each side of the front and/or back of the rack. The front surface ofequipment was typically directly mounted to this rail. In theillustrated rack 100, equipment is mounted to the mounting flanges 116that effectively define a segmented mounting rail. That is, eachmounting flange 116 is associated with one of the rail and sliderassemblies 112 and can be independently moved in relation to thefront-to-back depth axis of the rack 100. This accommodates the varyingoffsets as shown in FIG. 2. In addition, this allows equipment to beslideably moved forwardly and rearwardly relative to the rack 100, andallows equipment to be inserted into the rack 100 and removed therefromwhile the equipment remains mounted to the mounting flanges 116.

The illustrated rack 100 also accommodates variations in mountingstructure (e.g., the size and spacing of threaded bolt holes). As notedabove, the front surface of equipment is often mounted directly to therack. In conventional racks, the front surface of the equipment may bebolted to the continuous vertical mounting rail. In the illustrated rack100, the equipment is mounted to the mounting flanges 116.Unfortunately, the hardware required for such mounting is notstandardized. In particular, different equipment may require differenttypes of bolts and different spacing of the openings for receiving thebolts. In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting flanges 116 can beadapted to accommodate these variations. In this regard, the mountingflanges 116 may include an array of openings to accommodate the mostcommon configuration in this regard, or the mounting flanges 116 may beinterchanged depending on the equipment to be mounted. In theillustrated embodiment, different ones of the mounting flanges 116 areinterchangeable and have different configurations in this regard, e.g.,differently shaped (e.g., round or square) openings and differentspacings.

The illustrated rack 100 also accommodates equipment of different widthsin relation to a side-to-side dimension of the rack 100. It will beappreciated that equipment is often mounted to the rack not only by wayof the front surface of the equipment but also in relation to the sidesurfaces of the equipment. This is particularly useful in connectionwith equipment mounted so as to slide in and out of the rack. In thisregard, equipment typically includes mounting structure on the equipmentsides that, in the past, has been used to mount the equipment tocorresponding structure of a specially designed rail kit. In theillustrated embodiment, the same mounting structure of the equipment canbe used to mount the equipment to the structure of the rail and sliderassemblies 112, as will be discussed in more detail below. Again, theexisting mounting structure varies from case to case. In addition,different pieces of equipment can have different widths.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 4A, universal equipment mounting adapters400 can be used to mount the equipment to the rail and slider assemblies112. Generally, the mounting adapter assembly 400 can be reconfigured toaccommodate equipment of different widths and includes mountingstructure for mating to different types of equipment. The illustratedassembly 400 includes first and second L-shaped mounting adapters 402,404. One of the brackets 402 or 404 is bolted to a piece of equipment byway of openings 406 formed on a base thereof, and the other mountingadapter 402 or 404 is attached to a slider of the rail and sliderassembly 112 by installing a bolt through the openings 406. In thisregard, an array of openings 406 may be provided to accommodatedifferent mounting configurations of different equipment, or custommounting adapters may be provided for different types of equipment. Theillustrated brackets 402 and 404 further include an array of openings408 distributed along the length of the side portions of the brackets402, 404. It will be appreciated that the two brackets 402, 404 areinterconnected by bolts or the like to connect the equipment to the railand slider assembly via the vertical segmented mounting flanges. Thearray of openings 408 allows for appropriate selection of the overalllength of the interconnected brackets 402, 404 so as to accommodateequipment of varying widths.

FIG. 4B shows an alternate configuration of a mounting adapter assembly409. In this case, the assembly 409 includes a slider standoff 410 forattachment to the slider and two different equipment mounting adapters412 and 414 for attachment to the equipment. Once the slider standoff410 is attached to the slider and the equipment mounting adapter 412 or414 is attached to the equipment, the slider standoff base 411 can bebolted to the equipment mounting adapter base 413 and 415. The diagonalarrangement of the slots on the bases 411, 413 and 415 ensures that theslots can be aligned to allow bolting and also allows significantadjustment of the width of the resulting bracket. The vertical leg 417of adapter 412 has a variety of slots to match up with the mountingstructure of a variety of equipment for bolting. The teardrop shapedopenings of the vertical let 419 of standoff 415 can receive the headsof mushroom shaped mounting pins, provided on some equipment such thatthe heads cannot easily become dislodged from the opposing teardropopenings. That is, the illustrated bracket assembly works in connectionwith a variety of equipment so that the need for custom bracketassemblies for individual pieces or types of equipment are reduced.

FIGS. 5-7 show details of a safety stop assembly 500 used in connectionwith the rail and slider assembly. The safety stop assembly 500 performsa number of functions. First, as noted above, the rail and sliderassembly can be configured to accommodate a variety of different offsetconfigurations. In this regard, the safety stop assembly 500 can lockthe relative positions of a horizontal rail 502 and a slider 504 todefine the desired offset configuration. As shown, the rail 502 includesa base area 501 for mounting to the side posts 110 (See FIG. 1) andflanges 503. The slider 504 includes flanges 505 that engage the flanges503 of the rail 502 so that the slider 504 can slide forwardly andrearwardly on the rails 502. The components of the safety stop assembly500 may be symmetrical, such that each part may be used on either side(e.g., right or left) of the assembly 500. This feature may reducemanufacturing costs as well as simplify assembly of the system in thefield by a user.

The safety stop assembly 500 functions to limit movement of the slider504 in relation to the rail 502. The assembly 500 includes an actuator506 and a spring 508 with retention puck 512. A screw 514 extendsthrough a slotted opening 516 of actuator 506 and opening 518 of spring508 into threaded stud 510 mounted on rail 502 so as to connect theactuator 506 and spring 508 to the rail. The puck 512 is dimensioned todrop into any one of the openings 520 on the slider 504 so as tosubstantially lock the relative positions of the rail 502 (and, in turn,the rack) and the slider 504 at the position defined by any one of theopenings 520. In this matter, any desired equipment offset configurationcan be locked in. Although a round puck 512 and round openings 520 areshown, any cooperating geometry (e.g., matching shapes) could beemployed in this regard.

It will thus be appreciated that relative motion between the rail 502and slider 504 is allowed when the puck 512 is withdrawn from theopening 520 and is substantially prevented when the puck 512 is engagedin one of the openings 520. The illustrated actuator 506 interacts withthe spring 508 in two different ways to actuate movement of the puck 512into and out of the opening 520. First, the latch handle 522 can bemoved between locked and unlocked positions to selectively allowmovement of the slider 504 and attached equipment. The actuator 506 andspring 508 are configured in relation to the rail 502 and slider 504 sothat, for a particular screw position in the opening 516, as will bediscussed momentarily, the puck is biased by the spring 508 against theslider 504. Accordingly, the slider 504 will move only a short distancein relation to rail 502 until the puck 512 finds an opening 520. Anoffset configuration is then locked in place. The user can fine-tunethis offset configuration by moving the latch handle 522 to the unlockedposition and sliding the slider 504 and equipment in the desireddirection until the puck 512 finds the next opening 520. This first wayof interaction between the actuator 506 and spring 508, involvingmanipulation of the latch handle 522, can thus be used to select anoffset configuration. The latch handle 522 can also be used to overcomea safety stop described below, intended to prevent accidental sliding ofthe slider 504 completely off the rail 502 in a single action. That is,the handle 522 can be used when it is desired to remove the slider 504and attached equipment from the rack.

The second way that the actuator 506 interacts with the spring 508 is toimplement an automatic safety stop to prevent accidental sliding of theslider 504 and equipment fully off the rail 502, which could behazardous to personnel and equipment. As noted above, screw 514 extendsthrough a slotted opening 516 in the actuator 506. The slotted opening516 allows the actuator 506 to move in relation to the spring 508 alongan axis of the opening 516, which is aligned with a longitudinal axis ofthe rail and slider assembly, which, in turn, extends along to afront-to-back axis of the rack. A middle section 530 of the spring 508(bounded by bend lines 532, 534) is angled in relation to the rail 502and slider 504 so that bend line 532 is closer to the rail 502 than is534, and bend line 534 is closer to the slider 504. When the screw 514is at the end of the slotted opening 516 farthest from the handle 522,the actuator 506 does not extend across the bend line 532, and the puck512 is biased against a slider 504. However, when the screw 514 is atthe end of the slotted opening 516 nearest the tab 522, the end of theactuator 506 opposite the handle 522 extends beyond the bend line 532causing the middle section 530 of the spring 508 and end sectionsupporting the puck 512 to pivot about the bend line 532 so that thepuck 512 is withdrawn from the opening 520.

FIG. 6 shows a sequence of positions depicting the motion by which thesafety lock deploys to prevent accidental sliding of the slider 504 andattached equipment fully off of the rail 502. Specifically, theassemblies 540-543 show a series of positions corresponding toprogressive movement of the slider 504 in the direction indicated byarrows 544. As shown, the slider 502 includes slider tabs 526 extendinginwardly from the flanged ends of the slider 502. The actuator 506 mayoptionally include actuator tabs 524 extending outwardly therefrom. Theactuator tabs 524 interact with the slider tabs 526 so that movement ofthe slider 502 to a defined position causes movement of the actuator,which, in turn, allows the puck 512 to fall into an opening 520 on theslider 502 to prevent further travel of the slider 502.

In this regard, assembly 540 shows a position where the tabs 524 and 526are separated and the screw 514 is disposed at the end of the slottedopening 516 closest to the latch handle 522. In this position, theactuator 506 deflects the spring 508 so that the puck 512 is withdrawnfrom the openings 520 of the slider 504 and the slider 504 is free toslide on the rail 502. Assembly 541 shows a position where the slider504 has advanced to the point where the slider tabs 526 engage theactuator tabs 524. Further movement of the slider 504, as shown byassembly 542, causes the actuator 506 to move in relation to the spring508 such that the screw 514 has reached the end of the slotted opening516 farthest away from the latch handle 522—the limit of travel of theactuator 506 in relation to the spring 508. In this position, theactuator 506 allows deflection of the spring 508 so that the puck 512 isbiased against the slider 502, and the puck 512 can then drop into thenext opening 520 that comes into alignment with the puck 512.

An operator can thus use the safety stop as follows. To install a pieceof equipment on the rack or to slide the equipment to a desired offsetor to access the equipment, the operator first pushes the latch handle522 rearwardly until the screw 514 is at the end of the slotted openingclosest to the latch handle 522. As noted above, in this position, theslider is free to slide on the rail 502. In the case of installing apiece of equipment, the slider tabs 526 can easily ride over theactuator tabs 524 as best shown in FIG. 7 where the arrow 550 shows thedirection of travel of the slider 504 in relation to the actuator 506 asthe equipment is installed in the rack. Specifically, the forward endsof the actuator tabs 524 are bent inwardly to define ramps 560. As theequipment is installed, the rearward ends of the slider tabs 526 contactthe surfaces of the ramps causing the actuator 506 to deflect inwardlyso that the slider tabs 526 can ride over the actuator tabs. When theequipment is subsequently moved forwardly as shown in FIG. 6 anddiscussed above, the safety stop is engaged to prevent accidental travelof the slider fully off of the rail. In this regard, the position of theslider tabs 526 is selected to allow the desired access to the equipmentwithout accidental falling from the rack. When it is desired to removethe equipment from the rack, the operator can press the latch handleinwardly and rearwardly so that the actuator tabs 524 pass under theslider tabs 526. In this manner, the safety stop is overridden. Itshould be noted that an actuator/spring assembly of relatively simplyconstruction allows for selection of an offset configuration, safetystop functionality, and simple installation and removal of equipment inrelation to the rack. Further, the actuator/spring assembly is fieldserviceable in the event of damage.

FIG. 11 shows an alternative configuration of an actuator/sliderassembly 1100. The actuator 1102 is forced from a latch arm 1102 havinga latch handle 1104 and a lock tine arm 1106 (side view shown at top ofFIG. 11). The assembly 1100 further includes a spring 1108 that isgenerally of similar construction as the spring described in theembodiment above, but includes a cutout area 1110 that allows the spring1108 to extend across the lock tine arm 1106 in the horizontaldimension. The operation of the assembly is the same as described aboveexcept that, when the puck 1112 drops into the opening 1114 in theslider 1116, a tine 1118 at the end of the tine arm 1106 prevents thepuck 1112 from being forced out of the opening 1114.

FIGS. 8-10 show optional alignment bearings 800 used in a rack 802.Specifically, FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a section of the rack802, FIG. 9 shows a close-up of a portion of the rack section of FIG. 8,and FIG. 10 is a front cross-sectional view of a portion of the racksection of FIG. 8.

The rack 802 includes slider assemblies 804 and horizontal rails 806mounted on vertical support posts 808 for varying offset configurationin relation to a front face 810 of the rack 802, all as described above.The illustrated rack 802 further includes the noted alignment bearings800, also mounted on the vertical posts 808 and interposed betweenadjacent slider assemblies 804. More specifically, the bearings 800 maybe dimensioned so that the slider assembly 804 immediately above thebearing 800 lightly contacts or is very closely spaced from the bearingsurface 812 when the slider assembly 804 and attached equipment is fullyinserted into the rack. Moreover, at least the surface 812 may be formedfrom a material having frictional characteristics that facilitate easysliding of the slider assembly 804 on the surface 812 when they are incontact. In the illustrated embodiment, the bearings 800 are formed frominjection molded or extruded plastic.

The bottom edges of the bearings 800 are sloped upwardly at the frontand back sections of the slider 800 (thus providing a symmetricalgeometry so that the same construction can be used for left side andright side bearings 800) to facilitate alignment of the sliderassemblies 804 on the rails 806 during insertion as will be describedbelow. Also, the sliders 800 may include recesses 814, as shown in FIGS.9 and 10, which may optionally house stiffening bars 816 to providegreater bending stiffness in relation to the longitudinal(front-to-back) axis of the bearing 800.

In operation, the bearings 800 serve at least two functions: 1)facilitating alignment of the slider assemblies 804 to the rails 806 forequipment installation, and 2) enhancing the load rating of the rack802. In the former regard, the bearings 800 extend beyond the front ends818 of the rails 806 as best seen in FIG. 9. An operator can thus restthe slider assemblies 804 on the bearing surfaces 812 of bearings 800forward of the rail ends 818 to initiate installation. This isaccommodated by the upward slope of the front section of the bearing 800immediately above the bearing at issue, which provides clearance andguidance of the slider assembly 804. The slider assembly 804 can then bepushed rearwardly until the slider assembly 804 engages the rail 806.The slope of the bearing 800 above the bearing at issue progressivelyforces the slider assembly 804 with attached equipment into a desiredhorizontal orientation as the slider assembly 804 is pushed towards therail ends 818, thus further promoting capture of the rails 806 by theslider assembly 804.

The bearings 800 also enhance the load rating of the rack. For certainenvironments, e.g., racks deployed on aircraft or launch vehicles andracks supporting heavy equipment, the load bearing capacity of the rackmay be critical. In this regard, load peaks may be experienced when therack is accelerated and when the equipment is slid forwardly from therack for access to the equipment, thereby increasing the moment on theslider 800. As shown in FIG. 10, the slider assemblies 804, rails 806and bearings 800 define a substantially continuous (though segmented)vertical column of material substantially at the side-to-side locationof the load-bearing interface between the slider assemblies 804 and therails 806. In this manner, any slight deflection of the slider assembly804, e.g., due to elastic bending between the slider assembly 804 andrail 806, causes loading to be transferred from the rail 806 to thebearing 800. The bearings 800 thus function as braces to enhance theload bearing capacity of the rails 806 and rack 802.

The bearings 800 increase the load rating of each slider assembly 804.The bearings 800 may be designed to have zero tolerance between them andthe slider assemblies 804 (slight interference fit), such that thebearings 800 not only support the slider above them, but also the sliderbelow them. Then, if a slider assembly 804 is inserted at every position(e.g., every 1 U position), regardless if anything is mounted to it ornot, the strength of each slider assembly 804 is greatly increased, inboth the up and down axis. This is because all slider assemblies 804 areengaged in supporting each other on each side of the assembly andfunction as one structural unit. This facilitates the design of a rackthat is able to withstand much higher loads, which may be desired forsome applications (e.g., in mobile applications, where G-shock ratingsmay be important).

It can be appreciated that the slider can be pre-mounted onto equipmentso that assembly of the equipment-mounting adapter is not required atthe typically crowded rack location. Accordingly, installation at therack is very simple, and there is no need to disturb adjacent equipmentin neighboring racks of a data center. However, it is desirable in thisregard to accurately mount the equipment so that the side-to-sidespacing of the sliders matches the said spacing and the verticalposition of the equipment does not result in interference of theequipment or mounting flanges with adjacent equipment or mountingflanges.

If an operator was only concerned about mounting the equipment, themounting process could be addressed by simply providing a set of railsmounted on a table top. The rails could be mounted on the table top sothat the horizontal spacing between the rails matched that in the racks(if different rack widths were used in the data center, multiple railsets could be provided on the table top), and the vertical height of therails above the table top was a fraction of 1 u (e.g., 0.5 u). The pieceof equipment to be mounted could then be placed between the rails on thetable top. Sliders could then be slid onto the rails. Finally, themounting flanges on the sliders could be bolted to the front face of theequipment and/or the mounting adapters could be assembled between theequipment sides and the sliders. The equipment and sliders, as a unit,could then be removed from the table-mounted rails and inserted into thedesired rack location as described above.

However, certain equipment has a height that is a multiple of 1 u. Forsuch equipment, it will be appreciated that the same process asdescribed above could be utilized but with multiple rail sets mounted onthe table top, with the vertical spacing between rail sets selected tomatch that of the rack (e.g., 1 u spacing between vertically adjacentrail sets). The multiple u equipment would then be placed on the tablebetween the stack of rails and mounted to the appropriate number of railsets as described above. However, though this is easier than mountingthe multiple u equipment to the sliders at the crowded rack (working atwhatever height required), it is still somewhat difficult to assemblethe side mounting adapters to each set of rails in the table-mountedstack.

FIGS. 12A-12B show an assembly fixture 1200 that can be used formounting 1 u height or multi u height equipment to sliders. The fixture1200 includes a deck 1202 for supporting a piece of equipment to bemounted and rail mounts 1204 for receiving slider assemblies 1206 to bemounted. The deck 1202 is supported by an elevator that can be operatedby controls 1208 to move the deck up or down (in relation to the railmounts 1204) in 1 u increments, or to move the deck to its top position.FIG. 12B shows the deck 1202 in its top position, and FIG. 12A shows thedeck in a lowered position. The illustrated assembly 1200 also includescatering pins 1210 that can be moved in slots 1212 by operation ofhandle 1214. Moving handle 1214 moves the left and right side pins 1210symmetrically so that the pins are equidistant from the rail mounts1204.

To mount a piece of equipment, the equipment is placed on the deck 1202between the pins 1210 and the deck 1202 is moved to its top position.The lever 1214 is then operated so that the pins 1210 engage theopposite sides of the equipment and center the equipment. Sliderassemblies 1206 are then inserted on the rail mounts 1204 and attachedto the equipment front face. Appropriate brackets or standoffs are thenused to mount the slider assemblies 1206 to the equipment sides. If theequipment is a 1 u piece of equipment, the slider assemblies 1206 withattached equipment can then be removed from the fixture 1200 andinserted with the rack. It will be appreciated that the spacing of therail mounts 1204 matches that of the rack rails. If different rackwidths are employed in a data center, multiple fixtures 1200 may beutilized or the assembly 1200 can be constructed to allow repositioningof the rail mounts 1204.

In the case of a multiple u piece of equipment, the controls 1208 can beused to lower the deck 1202 by an amount equal to the vertical spacingof rack rails. In this regard, the top position of the deck 1202 isselected to match the desired vertical spacing of the rail center to theequipment bottom, e.g., 0.5 u. Each time the “down button is pressed,the deck may be lowered in one increment of the rail spacing, e.g., 1.0u. This process can be repeated until the desired number of sliderassembly pairs are mounted on the equipment. The equipment can then beremoved from the fixture 1200 and inserted at the desired rack location.

FIGS. 13A and 13B show perspective and side views of a set of railassemblies 1310 a-c that include rail portions 1312 a-c and verticallysegmented mounting flanges 1316 a-c, respectively. As shown, the railportions 1312 a-c are shaped such that the vertically segmented mountingflanges 1316 a-c do not contact each other when the rail portions 1312a-c are under a loaded condition (e.g., when the rail assemblies 1310a-c are coupled to equipment). The rail portions 1312 a-c includemechanical interference ramps 1318 that are bidirectionally slanted.When slider assemblies pass adjacent vertically segmented mountingflanges 1316 a-c from either direction, the dimensions of the ramps 1318are formed so that the ramped section of the rail portions 1312 a-c willcontrol the separation of the flanges 1316 a-c as they pass each otherand prevent them from contacting each other. If the rail portions 1312a-c are set at or near the same horizontal offset and the mechanicalload upon an upper slider begins to deform the upper slider, the ramps1318 may contact each other and the upper slider will be supported,thereby limiting the amount of deflection it will experience, therebypreventing possible damage to that assembly. It should be appreciatedthat this feature may also work in other orientations where the load oracceleration direction is not vertical.

FIGS. 14A and 14B show side and perspective views of a removableinsertion guide 1410 that may be operative to assist a user to insertequipment into a rack 1400. Similar to racks described above, the rack1400 may include a vertical side support post 1402 and a front surface1404. Further, the rack may include one or more rails 1406. Theinsertion guide 1410 may include two arms 1414 and 1416 that includepins 1426 which may be inserted into openings (e.g., holes) in thevertical side support post 1402. Further, the insertion guide 1410 mayinclude a “funnel” portion 1412 that is shaped to receive and guide aslider that may be attached to a piece of equipment. To further securethe insertion guide 1410 to the rack 1400, the insertion guide 1410 mayinclude a plurality of fingers 1418, 1420, 1422, and 1424 that areshaped and sized to secure the insertion guide 1410 to the front surface1404 of the rack 1400. The funnel portion 1412 of the insertion guide1410 may be designed to support and guide a slider assembly duringinstallation of equipment into the rack 1400. The removable insertionguide 1410 may be symmetrical and may function on either side of therack, front or back. The insertion guide 1410 may therefore be usedindividually or in one or more pairs (for multi U equipment withmultiple sliders attached) to guide the insertion of equipment (oraccessories, trays, or the like) into the rack. The guide 1410 may alsobe attached and removed or moved to a different location on the same ora different rack.

The foregoing description of the present invention has been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, thedescription is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosedherein. Consequently, variations, various combinations, andmodifications commensurate with the above teachings, and skill andknowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the presentinvention. The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended toexplain best modes known of practicing the invention and to enableothers skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or otherembodiments and with various modifications required by the particularapplication(s) or use(s) of the present invention. It is intended thatthe appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments tothe extent permitted by the prior art.

1-14. (canceled)
 15. A method for use in supporting electronic equipmentsuch as in a data center, comprising: providing a support structurehaving a number of vertically spaced rail assemblies; providing a pieceof electronic equipment; securing said piece of electronic equipment tomounting structure: first inserting said piece of electronic equipmentinto said support structure by slidably engaging said mounting structureand a first one of said rail assemblies; removing said piece ofelectronic equipment from said support structure by slidably disengagingsaid mounting structure and said first one of said rail assemblies; andsecond inserting said piece of electronic equipment into said supportstructure by slidably engaging said mounting structure and a second oneof said rail assemblies.
 16. The method as set forth in claim 15,wherein said step of first inserting further comprises engaging a latchto fix a position of said electronic equipment in relation to saidsupport structure.
 17. The method as set forth in claim 16, wherein saidstep of engaging comprises selecting an offset position from a set ofpredefined offset positions. 18-29. (canceled)